Airbags are supposed to protect you in the event of an accident, not hurt you worse than if it hadn’t been in place. Airbags are required safety equipment in most modern cars, and in general they provide crucial just-in-time protection to car passengers. That is, if they are properly constructed and installed.

Automobile makers usually contract out systems like airbags to other manufacturers and simply install them in the cars. Honda, Nissan, and Mazda source their airbags from Japanese company Takata Corporation, which is an old hat in vehicle safety equipment manufacturing and is in fact the second largest supplier in the world. It’s a no brainer. And then the first problems started showing up.

It turns out that certain batches of Takata airbags installed in millions of these cars were defective. They had a high risk of explosive detonation instead of simple deployment when it is activated. The airbags literally exploded and sent shrapnel out, and in a confined space like a car, that is deadly indeed.

Investigations revealed that this tendency to explode may be due to excessive moisture and insufficient pressure during production, and there is some speculation that ambient humidity may exacerbate the risk of explosive deployment. In areas like Tennessee, where there is high humidity during the summer months, this is a major concern. Many of the relevant vehicles had been recalled, but not everyone knows about it.

According to the website of Evans Moore, LLC, manufacturing defects happen; this is why manufacturers perform quality control checks. Takata knew or should have known that the airbags were defective, and should have informed their clients about the problem to avoid causing harm to vehicle owners. If you have been seriously harmed because your airbags exploded, report the incident to the appropriate agency to prevent harm to others. You should also consult with a product liability lawyer in your state to help you find the responsible parties and file a claim for your injuries.